By Zohreh Habibi, Tayebeh Biniyaz, Tahereh Ghodrati, Shiva Masoudi and Abdolhossein Rustaiyan

Abstract: Abstract: The oil obtained by hydrodistillation of the aerial parts of Tanacetum Paradoxum Bornm. and Tanacetum tabrisianum (Boiss.) Sosn. et Takht., which are endemic to Iran, was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The oil of T. paradoxum was characterized by high amounts of camphor (23.8%), lavandulyl acetate (19.1%), lavandulol (15.9%) and 1,8-cineole (13.2%), which were among the 18 components comprising 94.3% of the total oil detected. Twenty-four compounds representing 83.5% of the oil of T. tabrisianum were identified, among them caryophyllene oxide (12.0%) and spathulenol (10.3%) being the major ones. Key Word Index: Tanacetum paradoxum, Tanacetum tabrisianum, Compositae, essential oil composition, camphor, lavandulyl acetate, lavandulol, 1,8-cineole, caryophyllene oxide, spathulenol.

Introduction
The genus Tanacetum is represented in the flora of Iran by 26 species including 12 endemics (1,2). Plant belonging to the genus Tanacetum are reputed to have excellent medicinal values, and a large number of sesquiterpenoids and sesquiterpene lactones, which are typical constituents of these drugs, were isolated from Tanacetum species. These compounds might be partly or wholly responsible for the effect exhibited by the plants. Since the Middle Ages the plant T. parthenium has been used in the treatment of migraine, asthma, rheumatism and gynecological problems (3). Germacranolides type sesquiterpene lactones have been previously identified in a solvent extract of the aerial parts of T. polycephalum (4). Several authors have reported the microbiological and antibacterial activity of the essential oil from T. vulgare (5–7), and its sesquiterpene lactones (8).

Reports of the microbiological properties in other Tanacetum species, are also recorded in the literature. This activity is due mainly to sesquiterpene lactones in T. indicum var. tuneful (9), and T. argyrophyllum (10), and to terpenoid constituents in the oils of T. cilicium, T. corymbosum and T. macrophyllum. These last species also reported anticoagulant and antifibrinolytic properties (11–18)

The constituents of the oil of some Tanacetum species, such as T. polycephalum, T. balsamita, T. khorassanicum and T. fruticulosum have been the subject of our previous studies (19–22). The present paper reports upon the volatile components from the aerial parts of T. paradoxum and T. tabrisianum, which are endemic to Iran.